The Series
Toshokan Sensō (図書館戦争?, lit. Library War) is a Japanese light novel series by Hiro Arikawa, with illustrations by Sukumo Adabana. There are four novels in the series, though only the first novel is called Toshokan Sensō; the subsequent novels are named Toshokan Nairan, Toshokan Kiki, and Toshokan Kakumei. The novels were published by MediaWorks between February 2006 and November 2007. Two volumes of a spin-off series entitled Bessatsu Toshokan Sensō (別冊 図書館戦争?, lit. Supplement: Library War) have also been published by ASCII Media Works. As of April 2008, the original four novels and volume one of the spin-off series have sold over 1.25 million copies in Japan.[1] The story was inspired from the Statement on Intellectual Freedom in Libraries of the Japan Library Association.[2][3] A manga adaptation by Kiiro Yumi started serialization in the shōjo manga magazine LaLa on September 24, 2007 published by Hakusensha; another manga adaptation by Yayoi Furudori started serialization in the shōnen manga magazine Dengeki Daioh on November 21, 2007 published by ASCII Media Works. A twelve-episode anime adaptation by Production I.G aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina programming block between April and June 2008. Two Internet radio shows started in April 2008 meant to promote the series which are hosted by voice actors of the anime. An anime film produced by Production I.G was released on June 16, 2012. A live action film was released on April 27, 2013. Plot The background of the plot is based on the Statement on Intellectual Freedom in Libraries that went into effect in Japan in 1954 (amended in 1979), and the terms are a little different from the Freedom of the Library Law that appears in Toshokan Sensō. The simplified declaration:[3] It is the most important responsibility of libraries to offer collected materials and library facilities to the people who have the Right to Know as one of their fundamental human rights. In order to fulfill their mission, libraries shall recognize the following matters as their proper duties, and shall put them into practice. #Libraries have freedom in collecting their materials. #Libraries secure the freedom of offering their materials. #Libraries guarantee the privacy of users. #Libraries oppose any type of censorship categorically. When the freedom of libraries is imperiled, we librarians will work together and devote ourselves to secure the freedom.In Toshokan Sensō, the fourth chapter of the Freedom of Library Law states:[4] #Libraries have freedom in collecting their materials. #Libraries secure the freedom of offering their materials. #Libraries guarantee the privacy of users. #Libraries oppose any type of improper censorship categorically. #When the freedom of libraries is imperiled, we librarians will work together and devote ourselves to secure the freedom. The details will be amended anytime according to the Media Betterment Act and its enforcement. Story The premise of Toshokan Sensō involves the Japanese government passing the Media Betterment Act (MBA) as law in 1989 which allows the censorship of any media deemed to be potentially harmful to Japanese society by deploying agents in the Media Betterment Committee (MBC) with the mandate to go after individuals and organizations that are trying to exercise the act of conducting freedom of expression activities in the media.[5]Ep 01 However, local governments opposed to the MBA establishes armed anti-MBA defense force units to protect libraries from being raided by MBC agents under the Freedom of the Libraries Law.[6] The conflict between MBC agents and library soldiers has continued to 2019, when the story begins.[6] In accordance with the Japanese era calendar scheme, 1989 in Toshokan Sensō is rendered the first year of the fictional Seika (正化?) era, rendering 2019 as Seika 31.[7] Toshokan Sensō follows the life of Iku Kasahara, a new recruit in the Kantō Library Base who joined in 2019 after being inspired by a high ranking Kantō Library Defense Force member who saved a book she wanted to buy that was targeted for censorship.Ep 01 After joining, however, she finds the pace to be very demanding, and that her drill instructor Atsushi Dojo seems to have it in for her and working her harder than the other recruits. On multiple occasions, Kasahara shows herself to be reckless, particularly when she puts Dojo in danger by not securing a criminal in the base's library, and later getting involved with Media Betterment Committee agents despite not being a high enough ranked official; in both instances Dojo has to help her out of trouble. Despite these imperfections, Kasahara is enlisted into the base's Library Task Force, an elite group of soldiers who go through rigorous training in order to respond during difficult operations. This is partially due to Dojo realizing that he did not give Kasahara adequate training, so he gives his recommendation that she join the task force,Ep 02 of which he is a member, in order to correct this mistake on his part. Other recommendations come from the captain of the task force, Ryusuke Genda, and second class task force library officer Mikihisa Komaki who is the same rank as Dojo. Along with Kasahara, another new recruit named Hikaru Tezuka is also enlisted into the task force who is much more capable at the position than Kasahara. Kasahara continues to try her best in the face of difficult challenges while protecting the books she has sworn to protect. As the story progresses, a romance blooms and Iku and Dojo make romantic feelings for each other evident. Library Team he Library Team Defense Force (図書隊防衛部 Toshotai Bōeibu?), or Library Defense Force (LDF), in Toshokan Sensō is a paramilitary organization in Japan which serves to defend libraries against the Media Betterment Act (MBA) enforced by the Media Betterment Committee (MBC) and other pro-MBA independent factions. Different from the normal librarian department (業務部 gyōmubu?), which performs librarian functions like modern librarians, the LDF's main goal is to provide self-defense from the MBC during library raids, though their jurisdiction only extends so far as in the confines of library facilities in connection with the LDF, meaning they cannot extend their effort even into the city where an LDF base is located.Ep 02Ep 04 However, there are provisions around this, such as in accordance with Library Law Article 30 regarding book collection in that LDF Library Officers or above can choose to buy any book they want, even books targeted for censorship by the MBC. The LDF has ten bases throughout Japan in ten regions of Japan: Hokkaidō, Tōhoku, Hokuriku, Chūbu, Kantō, Kansai, Chūgoku, Shikoku, Kyūshū, and Okinawa.Ep 02 Each of the bases act under the provisions of the local government, and houses a public library where civilians can read and check out books. In the early years of the conflict the library forces were not well organized, so coordination with neighboring forces was often delayed which caused problems in times of armed conflict. One such incident in Toshokan Sensō occurred on February 7, 1999 in Hino at the Hino Library which later became known as the Hino Nightmare (日野の悪夢 Hino no Akumu?).Ep 02 The incident was caused by an independent group which sided with the Media Betterment Committee raiding the Hino Library and caused the deaths of twelve people who were against the Media Betterment Act.Ep 03 Since that day, the library forces armed themselves in self-defense and have become much more organized; the public even acknowledges the LDF as having more combat experience than the police or the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The incident also caused the formation of library bases in ten regions, and the system of library forces in operation at the beginning of Toshokan Sensō. The Library Defense Force has several branches which contribute to the organization as a whole. At the top is the Administrative Department where library administrators work doing daily administrative duties such as planning, organizing, staffing, budgeting, or directing. The Department of Defense works on defending against the Media Betterment Committee, and one section of the department consists of the Library Task Force, an elite group of soldiers who go through rigorous training in order to respond during difficult operations. At the Kantō Library Base, there are about fifty members in the task force. The Logistical Support Department works on stocking books and supplying the Department of Defense with military equipment, though it does not get involved with general outsourcing. There is also a Human Resources Department in charge of human resources, and an intelligence agency. There are approximately 30,000 members in the Library Defense Force throughout Japan. The German Chamomile is used in the insignia of Library Officers and above because the flower was a favorite of the late wife of the Library Defense Force commander Kazuichi Inamine.